In the News – April 3rd

Breaking News …

Panel rejects Jindal-backed bill to kill Common Core
The House Education Committee has rejected two bills that would have effectively scrapped Common Core in Louisiana, even though both were supported by the governor. House Bill 381 would have required the state to draft new standards to replace Common Core. House Bill 558 would have prohibited the state from using the Common Core assessments known as PARCC. Both were rejected in a 12-7 vote.  Editor’s note: Thank you to the members of the House Education Committee who voted against these two bills.

Brainpower City

America’s New Brainpower Cities
According to Forbes Magazine, New Orleans ties San Antonio for America’s #1 “Brain Hub” – a metropolitan area that is rapidly gaining college graduates. Between 2007 and 2012, New Orleans gained 44,005 college grads – a 20.3% gain. The gain is not just a returning Katrina-displaced population. College educated people are looking for affordable cities with cultural and natural amenities and strong economies, which New Orleans offers.

Charter Schools

The Charter School Performance Breakout
The Wall Street Journal says the claim that charters perform no better than conventional schools is out of date and inaccurate. The Journal points to recent studies that show closing weak charters and replicating strong charters is having powerful effects across the country. In New York City, the average charter school student now absorbs five months of extra learning a year in math and one extra month in reading, compared to conventional schools students. At KIPP schools, the largest national charter group, 86% of all students are low-income, 93% are African-American or Latino, and 83% go to college.

Dennis Persica: New Orleans at center of charter schools debate
Dennis Persica calls New Orleans a petri dish for the national charter school movement, but he says the debate over charters in New Orleans is relatively calm compared to New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

Baton Rouge is primed for change in education, but leaders only have one shot, speakers say
More than 50 organizations, business groups, and foundations met in Baton Rouge for the first Education Ecosystem Summit, hosted by New Schools for Baton Rouge. The goal of the summit was to foster collaboration and partnerships among organizations that have different functions in education, building an ecosystem in Baton Rouge that supports quality education for every child.

N.Y. Budget Deal Secures Facilities Funding for N.Y.C. Charters
A budget deal in New York will increase per pupil funding for charter schools, prevent charters in New York City from paying rent on district-provided facilities, and require the city to contribute funds if charters move into privately owned space. The new budget will also increase funding for prekindergarten in New York City without the tax increase on high-earning residents sought by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Update on Superintendent Search

Orleans Parish schools superintendent search: What should the School Board do next?
The search for the next superintendent appears to be stalled again. First, it took OPSB 19 months to choose a search firm and finalize criteria. Then the list of applicants was underwhelming, with mostly central office staff and a few school leaders sprinkled in. OPSB interviewed four finalists but didn’t schedule second interviews, and now two of the four have dropped out: Bermuda Education Commissioner Edmond Heatley and NOCCA chief Kyle Wedberg. Left standing are New Orleans lawyer D’Juan Hernandez and Thomas Darden, a charter school administrator from the northeast.

Louisiana Headlines

Bill would require auditing of voucher schools
The Louisiana Senate has passed a bill that would require private schools to account for funds they receive for voucher students. Schools would have to keep voucher funds in a separate account or use an accounting system that allows for detailed expense tracking. The bill is now under consideration by the House.

Magnet schools not eligible for National Blue Ribbon awards under state’s new rules
This year, the Louisiana Department of Education decided to limit public school applications for the prestigious National Blue Ribbon awards to non-magnet schools. The DOE said they wanted to focus on open-admissions schools this year, but magnet schools could be considered for nomination again in the future.

State charter school applications feature for-profits, New Orleans expansion
Twenty-two organizations have applied to BESE to open 34 charter schools in Louisiana in 2015 and beyond. This includes four New Orleans groups that are looking to expand: Better Choice Foundation, which runs Mary D. Coghill Elementary; Community Leaders Advocating Student Success, which runs Fannie C. Williams; Crescent City Schools, which runs three schools and wants a fourth; and New Orleans College Prep, which also runs three schools and has applied for two more charters over three years. All applications will be reviewed by a third-party evaluator, and BESE plans to make decisions in August.

National Stories

Khan Academy, Open Ed. Providers Evolve With Common Core
The nonprofit Khan Academy recently unveiled new online math resources tied to Common Core State Standards. The materials include thousands of free, interactive online math exercises for grades K-12 aligned to Common Core and organized into “missions” meant to cover an entire grade level of content. Salman Khan, the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, grew up in Metairie.

Does School Board Leadership Matter?
In a study of local school boards, the Fordham Institute found school board members and their attitudes do matter to student success, so it’s important to take seriously who gets elected and how. The study found that school districts with board members who have accurate knowledge of district conditions and who focus on academics are more likely to beat the odds and excel academically. The study also found that districts that elect a large percentage of board members at large (from the entire district) and in on-cycle elections (same day as a major election) are substantially more likely to excel.

U.S. Students Score Above Average on First PISA Problem-Solving Exam
U.S. 15-year-olds scored above average on a new international assessment from PISA that measured creative problem-solving skills. Their scores were on par with England, France, Germany, and Ireland, but were significantly below Singapore, Korea, and Japan. Worldwide, a representative sample of 85,000 students took the exam, including 1,273 U.S. students in 162 schools.

Illinois Governor’s Race Puts Unions in Tough Position
Illinois teachers’ unions are faced with a difficult choice in the upcoming governor’s race. The Republican candidate is a vocal opponent of unions, but the Democratic incumbent recently signed a bill into law that will curb pension costs. The unions also have a have a troubled history with the incumbent’s choice of running mate, former Chicago schools chief (and Louisiana RSD Superintendent) Paul Vallas.

More Local News

New Research Partnership to Focus on New Orleans Schools
The Education Research Alliance for New Orleans is a new partnership between researchers and local K-12 educators that will study the unprecedented school reforms in New Orleans since Katrina. The Alliance will look at how reforms have altered the public education landscape and what impact reforms have had on student outcomes (short- and long-term). Alliance partners include Tulane University, Louisiana Association of Educators, Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, Recovery School District, Orleans Parish School Board, New Schools for New Orleans, and the Orleans Public Education Network.

Morris Jeff Community School Teachers Unionize
Teachers at Morris Jeff Community School have formed a union, but not because they have any complaints. The teachers say they want to help make Morris Jeff a great school, and forming a union creates a formal process for teachers to have a voice. Morris Jeff is the first charter school in Louisiana to form a teachers union that is recognized by the school’s board.

Franklin High School teachers hope to unionize; some teachers cite pay concerns
More than 85% of Ben Franklin’s teaching staff informed the school’s board and administration that they want to unionize. The faculty members say they want to begin negotiating a collective-bargaining agreement with the board to address inequities in the pay scale.

RSD trying to find way to take care of coyotes near City Park
Coyotes have become a problem in New Orleans since Katrina, and several have made their home in vacant modular units on the site of the old JFK High School near City Park. RSD has cleared brush around the site and mended fences, and they say they are working with Homeland Security, City Park, NOPD, and the Pest and Termite Board to figure out how to trap the coyotes.